I was flagged down by a Jag owner who told me a group of guys with Jaguars meet on first Tuesdays at a location. I showed up and they were talking cars. It took months to discover there was an official club (that didn't meet there) and, in fact, these guys were widely known, and in multiple local clubs.

I was there because I had just bought my first Jaguar, and was interested in learning about what was not documented in commonly available (company) publications.

I have been thrilled (and I think that's the first time I have used that word) with the acceptance, encouragement and the enjoyment they share. I still haven't been to an official club meeting. I joined because they DID things I enjoyed, like slaloming my daily commuter car.

With all due respect to those involved in the National bureaucracy, since I will never "show" my door dings or get the time to take a week to play with cars, the "club" is a very local organization.

Rick, you are correct it is all in the club, not on the higher level. What is done there is to form rules so that if you decide to take a trip up I-80, for example, and go to slalom you will still have the same playing field with the same rules that you are used to. That really is all that goes on at the AGM. Some of our members take it more seriously than others. The other functions that we do via committee are the usual bookkeeping kind of things or to resolve disputes that cannot be solved via the local club committees. It may seem strange to someone who has not had the opportunity to see the club as a whole, but we are really a very loose alliance of clubs and we are a social club more that a "sports car" club. I know I have been there for many years. Have fun with what you are doing, that's what is really important. If you can get more members to join, goof, if not, so be it.

You make a point that I have made for a long time. I don't do concours. It's not my thing. I respect those who do enjoy detailing their cars, but for me, it's all about driving them. Some folks do both, drive and show. I just prefer the driving. It's my personal preference, not a statement about car shows, etc.

I've been a long time participant in the First Tuesday group down in Bridgewater. I haven't been in a while, it seems like I've had other obligations those first Tuesdays of late. But it's a great bunch of guys and always fun to get together with them. Might try to make it this month.

As for JCNA, as long as we remain an affiliation of local clubs, the national will always be just that, an umbrella organization. It will not be the major moving force in setting up local or regional activities. With the organization as it stands now, only local clubs will be setting up activities, and they will vary from club to club. Ultimately, it is the members of the local club that determine what the activities will be.

Unless we radically change the structure of JCNA and the local clubs, all activities will remain essentially local in nature. It is up to the club as a whole to decide if that is what we want, or whether we want a more centralized "governance" of clubs and activities.

I did my concours thing many years ago with another marque.
The local clubs, no matter what organization, are "it".
I am doing my first "concours" with the JCNA this Saturday with my jalopy.
I don't care what folks think.
It's a Jaguar, it has no holes, it runs.
Putting it "right", simply because I like them "right", and until I find someone to take it down bare and re-paint it, I'll keep after the 30-year-old lacquer.

I am not up to all the tours and such anymore, but the local meets I can do.

Rick,
I do not know where you are located, but join the local group and you will see that 90% of the club's activities are at the local level. Here in Dallas I even have the luxury of having two clubs -- so 2X monthly events!